We descended the mountain still in awe, and wandered through a graveyard with very old and very recent grave stones. Some of the grave "stones" were metal. We went into a church, ignoring the lady in a booth demanding a voluntary donation. It was probably the church used in the Sound of Music for the wedding, and Mozart's local church. We again walked into a grand and huge courtyard, where just one street away the lanes become small and quaint. We stopped for lunch in a food bar packed with locals only, and had a real German/Austrian meal of sauerkraut, goulash and a big dumpling, a typical meal here.
In the side of the same mountain as the castle we entered the catacombs, through secret passages and two stone chapels. These were used during the Roman era when Christianity was outlawed. At one time there was a landslide which revealed the chapels. Since the 1600's and till present day, men called mountain cleaners, come every spring and check for cracks in the mountains, if they find any they are sealed up. The tour guide lady used too much dramatic pause, and indicated everything with a flat open hand, while whispering in reverence of the site.
When we exited I spotted a lady in traditional Austrian hat with feather, and and a dog in a jacket, I just had to get a shot of her, so I stalked her for a while with my Instamatic at the ready. I got my shot. We did some essential shopping: camera spools, stockings for when we start work, hand body and face cream and deodorant (badly needed). All in all $23.
Photo from Wikimedia, by Joachim Köhler
No comments:
Post a Comment